1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to protective sports equipment and particularly to protective equipment used in the martial art sports, namely, a karate glove or sports glove.
2. Prior Art
Various types of protective gloves or sports gloves have been developed for use in the martial arts. One pertinent prior art reference, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,912 discloses a karate glove having a strap which substantially encircles the wrist. The strap is adhesively secured to the wrist portion of the glove body so that the glove does not come open during use. The glove is provided with a closed thumb holder and a finger grab bar extends across the forward portion of the glove so that, when the wearer grasping the bar makes a fist, the fingers are protected by a blunt forward edge. Additional inside protective foam material is adhesively secured to the inside of the finger portion to give additional protection.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,546; which discloses a karate glove with an integral encircling wrist band. A middle loop portion is passed across the palm of the hand and a forward loop or strap is tightened around the fingers. A thumb strap is tightened around the thumb forming a flexible thumb portion around the back of the thumb.
Yet another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,086; which discloses a tussle glove with a wrist strap, a palm strap and enclosed finger pocket. The thumb is inserted into a thumb socket formed in the glove.
In addition, other patents relating to the present inventive subject matter are U.S. Pat. Nos. 961,149; 1,286,396; 1,627,382; 1,706,503; 2,923,946; 3,258,782; 3,476,108; 3,605,120; 3,741,207; 3,855,633; 3,924,272; 3,945,045; 4,062,073; 4,137,572; 4,287,610; 4,290,147; 4,400,829; 4,497,073; and 4,635,300.
The above-noted references are provided as means for protecting the hands of participants or combatants in karate or contact-type sports. However, the problem with these various prior art devices are that they do not provide sufficient protection at specific stress points and fracture areas of the hands, including the fingers and thumb, and therefore do not effectively prevent the occurrence of various injuries when being used. Furthermore, the gloves of the prior art patents because of their construction wear out or tear at contact and stress points.
The aforementioned invention overcomes these problems with its unique construction and safety features by providing a protective glove adapted to significantly lessen the chance of injury to the hand and to the opponents.